Leaving

Su Yu's mouth twitched. He argued with Su Bin for quite a while, but the old man stubbornly insisted on ten Low-grade Spirit Stones each, not a single stone less. He showed no sentiment at all.

Left with no choice, Su Yu took out ten Low-grade Spirit Stones and picked one Ancient Jade Box buried at the bottom of the pile.

He closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment before finally taking it away.

After Su Yu left, Su Bin looked thoughtfully at the ten Low-grade Spirit Stones in his hand. "Everything in this world has its own fortune and karmic affinity. One undeniable fact is that some people have great fortune, while others have terribly poor fortune."

"And Ancient Jade Boxes are one way of testing fortune. Of course, this business can't be run at a loss. This old man doesn't have enough capital to keep losing money."

The ten Low-grade Spirit Stones had only just covered the cost of his scavenging for Ancient Jade Boxes everywhere.

He had not been selling Ancient Jade Boxes within the clan to make money.

Rather, he believed in fortune and karmic affinity.

Ancient Jade Boxes could reveal certain things.

For example, Su Qingyi from before.

And Su Yu, a junior he thought rather highly of.

"He took an Ancient Jade Box. Just how good are his fortune and karmic affinity? We should know in a few days." Su Bin was a little expectant.

Thinking of how Su Yu had bought one, Su Bin turned to look at the pile of Ancient Jade Boxes, and his hands immediately began to itch again.

"Should I open one myself?" A seasoned old gambling dog through and through.

Back in the courtyard.

With a surge of mana from Su Yu's hand, the remnants of the ancient restriction attached to the Ancient Jade Box immediately dissipated.

When he opened the Jade Box and looked inside, his brows furrowed.

Inside was a black object resembling a lentil.

He picked it up and examined it. "A seed?"

The reason he had stopped earlier was because he had sensed a faint Wood Attribute Life Aura.

His Azure Wood Age Wheel Art had broken through to First Cycle Fourth Turn, and his Spirit Infusion Art had reached completion, making him far more sensitive to the life aura of vegetation.

Even with the Ancient Jade Box blocking it off, he had still detected a trace.

Now, holding the Black Lentil-like Seed in his hand, Su Yu was deeply startled, for he could sense an extraordinary life aura within it.

This seed seemed far from ordinary!

It was only that too much time might have passed. The life aura inside the seed was extremely faint. Without external aid, it would absolutely have been incapable of sprouting with new vitality again.

"I wonder what kind of seed this is." After hesitating for a moment, Su Yu tried infusing the seed in his hand with the Wood attribute mana of the Azure Wood Age Wheel Art.

He did not stop until nearly sixty percent of his mana had been depleted.

"The aura seems to have strengthened a little."

Sensing the slight increase in the seed's life aura, Su Yu could not help but let out a breath of relief.

This had cost him ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.

If the seed had been ruined, it would have hurt his heart for quite a while.

He placed the seed back into the Jade Box and stored it in his Cosmos Bag, intending to slowly nourish it back to health in the future. Then Su Yu sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation art to recover his mana. Once he had recovered, he began practicing the Myriad Wood Vine Technique and Spirit Devouring Art.

The Myriad Wood Vine Technique could instantly spur vine after vine into growth, each as thick and formidable as trees, to trap enemies.

The Spirit Devouring Art was somewhat sinister. It could seize another person's mana, or rather, their spiritual vitality, accelerating the enemy's exhaustion.

Once an enemy's mana and spiritual vitality were depleted, even their life force could be siphoned away by the Spirit Devouring Art.

Until their lifespan was exhausted and they died.

This spell was highly difficult, but its power was formidable. Even among high-realm cultivators, the Spirit Devouring Art remained one of the Wood attribute spells feared at that level.

Ten days later, Su Yu had gained an entry-level grasp of the Myriad Wood Vine Technique.

A month later, Su Yu had gained an entry-level grasp of the Spirit Devouring Art.

After mastering these two spells, Su Yu invited his medicinal master, Su Changyu, along with his three senior brothers, to gather at the end of the month. He also left ten Low-grade Spirit Stones for his master, Su Changyu.

The next day, while the Medicine Garden was making a delivery, Su Yu followed Su Jingbang to Cloud Mountain Market.

Not long after Su Yu left Azure Mountain, news reached the Lin Family.

"That brat who gave the Su Family the Beast Luring Powder formula is going to Cloud Mountain Market to become an alchemy apprentice?"

"Fifth, keep watching him. It's inconvenient for us to act at the Su Family Medicine Garden, but once he leaves the Su Family, there will always be a time when he is alone."

"Kill him, and retrieve that Beast Luring Powder formula as well."

The Lin Family's Grand Elder, Lin Kui, said through gritted teeth.

A member of the Lin Family followed close behind Su Jingbang's group, quietly making his way toward Cloud Mountain Market.

The Su Family had only just acquired a first-grade Spirit Vein and had yet to convert it into the family's strength. The Lin Family and the Su Family were still evenly matched in power.

If they could not change the current situation, then the longer time passed, the more dangerous things would become for the Lin Family.

Once the Su Family's strength surged in the future, the Lin Family would either face extermination or have no choice but to flee Jiang City and stay far away from the Su Family.

The Lin Family did not have much time left!

Upon arriving at Cloud Mountain Market once more.

Nothing here had changed. Along the way, Su Yu's group encountered no bandits. Most of the time, order within the territory of the Cloud Sword Sect was fairly stable. Any capable bandits who showed themselves would be hunted down through missions issued by the Cloud Sword Sect.

As for bandits without any strength—

Seeing Su Yu's group of eleven cultivators, they naturally did not dare show themselves.

After entering the market and passing through the bustling streets filled with cultivators, they arrived at the Su Family Alchemy Pavilion. Second Elder Su Yun was still the same as ever.

His hair was streaked with gray, several horizontal lines marked his forehead, and his square face carried a cold aloofness that kept strangers at arm's length.

After taking the goods from Su Jingbang, Su Yun looked at Su Yu, this junior, for the first time. He had not returned to Jiang City, but he knew about the changes in the Su Family.

He had received the Beast Luring Powder formula as early as a year ago.

Moreover, it had been successfully promoted to the Cloud Sword Sect and sold to various forces throughout the Cloud Sword Sect's territory.

This formula alone could bring the Su Family a net profit of over two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones every year.

Su Yun looked at Su Yu, his brows slightly furrowed. "You aren't cultivating the Wutong Greenwood Art?"

Su Yu answered respectfully, "I was before, but I have now switched to another Wood attribute cultivation art."

Su Yun was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

The Wutong Greenwood Art was not inferior among Wood attribute cultivation arts in the Qi Refining Realm!

It could be cultivated to the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm and was considered a superior Qi Refining cultivation art!

Su Yu clearly knew this, yet he had still chosen to switch to another Wood attribute cultivation art. That meant the other cultivation art was stronger than the Wutong Greenwood Art!

Su Yun nodded without probing further. "As long as it is still a Wood attribute cultivation art, that is fine. Settle in first. Starting tomorrow, you will follow me and learn alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Su Yu immediately bowed deeply and said respectfully, "Yes, Master."

After sending Su Yu off to tidy up a room and settle in, Su Jingbang looked at Su Yun and chuckled. "Congratulations, Second Elder, on gaining such a fine disciple."

Su Yun frowned. "I don't know how far he will go, but I will teach him with all my heart and strength. If you ask me, the Family Head should keep him by his side. To support the family and grow into a qualified successor, what he needs is not simply to become an alchemist."

Su Jingbang shook his head. "A successor can be an alchemist, but he cannot be only an alchemist."

"He is only twenty. He still has a long life ahead of him. He can experience being a medicinal master and an alchemist. He can even travel with the Fourth Elder."

"Second Elder, you must give the young man some time to grow."

Su Yun fell silent for a long while before nodding. "You are right."

Yet he did not know just how heaven-reaching his disciple's alchemy would become in the future.

Compared to cultivation, raising the proficiency of these secondary professions was somewhat easier.